Modifying color and panchromatic channel CFA image

Abstract

A method of modifying a CFA image or full-color image having a plurality of color channels and a panchromatic channel, includes capturing the panchromatic channel at a different exposure time than at least one of the color image channels with the CFA sensor within one image; producing a panchromatic edge map and a color edge map from the CFA image; using the panchromatic edge map and the color edge map to provide motion estimates; and using the motion estimates to modify at least one of the channels of the CFA image or full-color image.

1. A method of modifying a CFA image or full-color image having a plurality of color channels and a panchromatic channel, comprising:
 (a) capturing the panchromatic channel at a different exposure time than at least one of the color image channels with the CFA sensor within one image; 
 (b) producing a panchromatic edge map and a color edge map from the CFA image; 
 (c) using the panchromatic edge map and the color edge map to provide motion estimates; and 
 (d) using the motion estimates to modify at least one of the channels of the CFA image or full-color image. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (b) further includes
 (a) producing a blurred panchromatic CFA image from the CFA image; 
 (b) producing an edge gradients map from the blurred panchromatic CFA image; 
 (c) producing an edge gradients and magnitude map from the edge gradients map; 
 (d) producing a thinned edge map from the edge gradients and magnitude map; and 
 (e) producing the panchromatic edge map from the thinned edge map. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (b) further includes
 (a) producing an RGB CFA image from the CFA image; 
 (b) producing a blurred RGB CFA image from the RGB CFA image; 
 (c) producing an edge gradients map from the blurred RGB CFA image; 
 (d) producing an edge gradients and magnitude map from the edge gradients map; 
 (e) producing a resized edge gradients and magnitude map from the edge gradients and magnitude map; 
 (f) producing a thinned edge map from the resized edge gradients and magnitude map; and 
 (g) producing the color edge map from the thinned edge map. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (c) further includes
 (a) producing a cross-correlation map from the panchromatic edge map; 
 (b) producing block motion estimates from the cross-correlation map; and 
 (c) producing the motion estimates from the block motion estimates. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1  wherein step (d) further includes using the motion estimates to modify the panchromatic channel of the CFA image or full-color image.